Luka Doncic reached out to newly available guard Marcus Smart, letting it be known that he wants the veteran to join the Los Angeles Lakers, following Smart’s contract buyout agreement with the Washington Wizards, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Smart is planning to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Lakers after clearing waivers following his buyout, Charania reported on Saturday.
In addition to the pending addition of Smart with the push from Doncic, the Lakers added a much-needed center in DeAndre Ayton and power forward Jake LaRavia.
Doncic himself joined the Lakers last season in a blockbuster February trade from the Dallas Mavericks and has hit the ground running, focused on helping the team reach its full potential.
Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, will have a player option on his Lakers deal with a more flush 2026 free agency.
He will be looking to get back on track after starting his career with a perfect 9-for-9 streak of playoff appearances in Boston. That run came to an end during stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards over the past two seasons.
After losing Dorian Finney-Smith this offseason, the Lakers see Smart as the ideal two-way player to help fill that void.
Along with Los Angeles, both the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks showed interest and were granted permission to speak with Smart, with “positive conversations” taking place among all three franchises before he ultimately chose to sign with the Lakers, per Charania.
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